Cagers Top Penn, 80-76; Rebounding Sparks Win

Going into Saturday night's Harvard-Penn basketball game, Crimson Coach Pete Roby knew what his team needed to beat the Quakers: rebounding.

Harvard did just what its coach wanted, and defeated Penn, 80-76, in front of 1000 fans at Briggs Cage.

"Our game plan was to beat them inside and keep them off the boards," Roby said.

The last time the two teams faced each other, Penn (8-15 overall, 6-5 Ivy) won in overtime, 83-79, because it was more aggressive on the boards. The Quakers scored the last four points in the game off offensive rebounds, and the Crimson (11-13, 6-6) knew it couldn't let that happen again.

"We knew it was a matter of intensity," said junior Neil Phillips, who led Harvard with 21 points. "We showed them that we were going to play tough inside early on, and that set the tone for the game."

The Quakers didn't score in the final four minutes of play, partly because they couldn't get second chances on their missed shots down the stretch. The Crimson outrebounded Penn, 35-33.

In the last home game of the season, Roby started the three seniors on the team--Tri-Captains Bill Mohler and Kyle Dodson, and guard Tom Morrison. Mohler was the focus of attention, as the Crimson tried to work the ball inside early.

"Billy had nine or ten points in the first half," Phillips said. "He was really a big factor for us."

With the help of a strong press, the Crimson brought the Quakers out of their set offense. Harvard spread around the scoring and took a 44-39 lead into the locker room at the half.

"On offense, we were standing around," Penn guard Walt Frazier, Jr. said.

Saintly

Frazier, the son of the former NBA great, was the key man for the Quakers, scoring 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field. Frazier, who has never been regarded as an offensive force, is the hottest player in the Ivy League, averaging better than 28 points a game over his last three contests.

But even Frazier could not stop a fired-up Harvard team at the start of the second half. Behind the sharp-shooting of Phillips and freshman Ralph James, the Crimson went on a 16-6 run to take a 60-45 lead with 13:47 left on the clock.

But when it began to look like Harvard would run away with the game, the dormant Quaker offense woke up. After Gielen committed his fourth personal foul, Roby had to take the point guard out of the game. Then Penn slapped on the pressure, and brought themselves back into the game.

"We've had a tendency to get in that position and then make a comeback," Penn Coach Tom Schneider said. "We play well when we have to come back. Maybe we should start every game 10 points down."

"It was a combination of Penn turning up the heat and our guys not reacting well to it," Roby said.

Led by Frazier, forward Sean Dineen, and sophomore guard Jerry Simon, the Penn press went on a 16-0 run to pull in front of Harvard, 61-60, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.

"Offensively, we were stagnant," Phillips said. "We were just standing around waiting for someone to do something."

After Roby called a timeout, Phillips did just that, nailing a three-pointer to stop the Quaker charge. The junior's basket put the Crimson back on top, 63-61.

"I told them in the huddle that blowing leads happens in every sport," Roby said. "I told them that what matters is how you react to it."

The Crimson stayed even with the Quakers until Frazier hit a three-pointer with 4:07 left in the game to put Penn on top, 76-70. But then Penn's shots stopped falling, and Harvard came back.

"When you don't score, it's very hard to press," Scneider said. "And down the stretch, the shots just didn't go in."